# In what order do you use your facial products, and why?



## creolesugar (May 11, 2009)

I haven't been successful in finding out the "chronologically correct" method for facial care routines.

I just bought new cleansers and scrubs. I've also bought a new St. Ives microderm-abrasion product with fine mineral crystals and chamomile. Would anyone care to put these types of products in numerical order for me? I also would like to know in what order a masque would go. Thanks so much! I really appreciate it!

BTW I plan to use Montagne Jeunesse Dead Sea mud masques for a while. I also just saw a vid on YouTube by mamichula8153, and I want to try more at-home things, like honey masques.

Again, thanks in advance, everybody!


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## magosienne (May 11, 2009)

*Morning :*

-Face cleanser (for obvious reason, lol)

-Lavender floral water, that's to control oily t zone and acne pimples.

-moisturizer, to moisturize, soothe my sensitive skin, and protect it against the wind, pollution, etc...

[add your eyecream if you use one, i don't]

-sunscreen, helps with redness, acne and not aging lol.

(makeup routine starts here)

*Evening :*

-makeup remover, to remove makeup, dirt and impurities, pollution. If you use a milky remover you may feel the need to use a toner or floral water after.

-night cream, helps the dry parts of my face. also your skin repairs itself during the night, so it's nice to help it with a more nutrient packed moisturizer.

*Every weekend* (or whenever you have time for it during the week !) :

Face scrub (which actually i do every two weeks for sensitiveness and crazy skin reasons), then face mask (clay).

I like to do these at the same time, so i'm sure my pores are as clean as they can be, but that's my personal method.


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## creolesugar (May 11, 2009)

Hi, Magosienne. How are you? Thank you for spelling out some of those things!

The reasons aren't obvious to me for cleansing first; that's why I ask. lol I like to scrub first.

Also, my skin benefits from daily exfoliation. I can even do masques more than weekly. Why do you do the masque after the scrub?


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## Lucy (May 11, 2009)

it's generally best to cleanse before you do anything. so before you use the st. ives, use a gentle cleanser to take off all your makeup and generally cleanse your skin. if you micro-dermabrase (is that a word? lol) before cleansing, you're just moving your makeup round on your face really- or even worse rubbing it_ into_ your skin and clogging your pores.

so, cleanse-exfoliate/microdermabraise-moisturise.

with regard to masks, i can't use those montagne jeunesse ones because they contain a lot of kaolin (clay) which my skin reacts badly to. i make my own home made masks and do them once a week or once every two weeks depending on the condition of my skin. it's generally better to cleanse before you use a mask too, or at least steam your face to open up your pores.

my favourite home made mask is yoghurt, oat and honey. don't use a fruity yoghurt because they can be kinda acidic sometimes. greek or plain works fine. mix equal amounts of yoghurt and oats to make a sort of paste and then add a squeeze of honey. a table spoon of yoghurt/oats works fine for one face. it's best to warm it up in your hands first because the yoghurt can be kinda cold.

another fun mask is just simply oats and honey. if you have greasy skin that's better than using yoghurt. if you're looking for more inspiration on home made masks check out these threads, there's loads more.

https://forum.makeuptalk.com/f12...nts-94885.html

https://forum.makeuptalk.com/f12...ies-93164.html

https://forum.makeuptalk.com/f12...ask-92867.html


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## creolesugar (May 11, 2009)

Hi, Lucy. How are you?

I appreciate your response!

I haven't regularly been wearing makeup for a few months now, but I guess I'd still just be swishing dirt and oil around if I used an exfoliating scrub or microderm-abrasion prior to a cleanser right?


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## Bec688 (May 12, 2009)

Ok this is the most basic order that most estheticians/beauty therapists will use when performing a facial.

eye/lip make up remover

cleanse

tone

exfoliate

masque

tone

eye cream

moisturiser

You can swap around the eye cream around with the moisturiser and apply it last, doesn't make too much of a difference. Some beauty therapists prefer that sequence. Also, If you want to add a serum to the mix, you apply the serum before your moisturiser. Some serums you can apply under your masque which helps aid in absorption, however read the directions on the bottle before applying.


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## Asha* (May 12, 2009)

Night:

make up remover (usually just for eye makeup, I use some oil on a cotton pad)

cleanser

(scrub)

(mask)

toner/hydrosol - I kinda switch between those two

oil

(moisturizer)

eye cream

tea tree oil

lip balm

Morning:

I'm usually lazy or late, so I just slather some makeup on (if I feel like it, or i just go around my business with ''naked'' face, LOL)


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## magosienne (May 12, 2009)

Originally Posted by *creolesugar* /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, Magosienne. How are you? Thank you for spelling out some of those things!
The reasons aren't obvious to me for cleansing first; that's why I ask. lol I like to scrub first.

Also, my skin benefits from daily exfoliation. I can even do masques more than weekly. Why do you do the masque after the scrub?

Lol. I use a cleanser first because that's what washes your face, the first purpose of a scrub is to take off dead skin cells. That's why i don't use a facescrub on a daily basis, plus my skin has become so sensitive over the years daily scrub isn't an option. Now, a scrub also cleans pores and i have my share of nasty blackheads, and i just noticed my skin looked better if i use my facescrub then my mask (like my mask is more effective). My pores are cleaner that way, especially my enlarged nose pores. I also like to pamper myself during one evening, so it's facescrub, facemask and then warm bath


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## creolesugar (Jun 8, 2009)

okay nowwww I get it. I've been cleansing first instead of scrubbing first hehe. my face is looking a lot better, too





thank you everybody! you've all been so helpful

this question was driving me nuts lol


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## bella1342 (Jun 8, 2009)

Thanks for your post Rebecca, it's very helpful!


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## Tyari (Jun 13, 2009)

I wash, tone, moisturize on the morning. It only makes sense to do it that way or else if I moisturize first and then wash that of with cleanser and then tone, there's nothing left to protect and moisturize my skin.

At night, I use a makeup remover to remove my eye and face makeup, then I wash, tone, moisturize. I use a spot treatment and I've read in forums to use it after washing and before moisturizing because it's more effective that way so I wash my face, pat dry, then put on the spot treatment and wait 20 minutes or so before I moisturize and when I do finally moisturize, I avoid the 'treated' spots.


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## Hoozey (Jun 23, 2009)

I'm 41 and found that a simple routine is best for my skin.

In evening I cleanse with emu soap (just a melt and pour base I buy online and then add additional emu oil to) I leave it unscented for my face. A wash cloth or microfiber cloth is enough exfoliation for most times. After cleansing I put a drop or two of emu oil in the palm of my hand and mix in about 4 times as much water and apply to my face as my moisturizer. About once a week in summer (more often in winter) I do a homemade sugar scrub... a little honey and table sugar mixed together into a paste. Honey helps sooth skin and retain moisture. Sugar crystals are a physical exfoliant. You can also add some lemon juice- the vitamin C will be a bit of a chemical peel along with the sugar crystals. In the morning I may add a bit more emu oil and water to my face as moisturizer but I don't wash again. A good toner is water with apple cider vinegar. (Also excellent to use on hair as a rinse after shampooing-- makes hair extremely soft and shiny. Rinse well to remove vinegar smell although it will go away after drying)

I've been doing this routine for 3-4 years now and my skin looks better than when I was using commercial (and costly) cleansers/scrubs/etc. I bet a year of my skin care now costs less than $40 total.


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